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A North Carolina doctor has been convicted of fraud after she was caught reusing single-use sinus surgery tools hundreds of times.
Anita Louise Jackson, 59, operated three Greater Carolina Ear, Nose and Throat offices where she repurposed devices to defraud and mislead patients.
He performed more than 1,400 of these surgeries for Medicare patients between 2011 and the end of 2017, using just 36 devices.
She has also been convicted of charges of fabricating medical and health care records, paying illegal wages, mail fraud, and conspiracy.
Jackson faces up to 40 years in prison based on the maximum terms of each charge for which she was convicted and fines exceeding $250,000. The jury has already ordered the forfeiture of $4,794,039.31 in Medicare fraud.
Anita Louise Jackson, 59, operated three Greater Carolina Ear, Nose and Throat offices where she repurposed devices to defraud and mislead patients. She performed more than 1,400 of these surgeries for Medicare patients between 2011 and the end of 2017.
Jackson operated practice locations in Raleigh, Lumberton and Rockingham, where he used Entellus XprESS, an FDA-cleared device to perform balloon sinuplasty, which treats chronic sinusitis.
The FDA has only approved it for use on one patient, for surgery, and then it should be thrown away.
Justice Department officials found that records showed Jackson received, at most, only 36 new devices in the years he performed these 1,400 procedures.
“This doctor put profits before patients, lured Medicare patients with free ‘nose spas,’ and risked infection in those patients by reusing the same single-use surgical devices on them over and over again,” said Michael Easley. , federal prosecutor for the East. District of North Carolina.
‘If we allow doctors to rip off Medicare to increase their profits by performing unsupported medical procedures, each and every American taxpayer bears the cost. But the damage is felt most by the victim-patients who deserved better, and by senior Americans with Medicare who are entitled to quality care.’
Investigators found that Jackson was lying to patients and not telling them that he was using the ‘tampered’ device, despite admitting that he had more than enough money to purchase them for each patient. She just chose not to.
“Jackson’s flagrant disregard for the health of his patients has led to his conviction on multiple federal charges.”
Jackson operated practice locations in Raleigh, Lumberton and Rockingham, where he used Entellus XprESS (pictured), an FDA-cleared device to perform balloon sinuplasty, which treats chronic sinusitis.
Jackson’s Rockingham location. Justice Department officials found that records showed Jackson received, at most, only 36 new devices in the years he performed these 1,400 procedures.
Because most of her patients had Medicare, she is also accused of using those procedures to bill Medicare for more than $46 million.
“The FDA continues its commitment to aggressively pursue those who deviate from required use standards for medical devices,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder, FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations in Miami. “We will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect consumers from potentially dangerous products.”
Jackson was also convicted of 10 counts of unlawfully inducing her patients to have the procedure by failing to round up other patients, allowing her to fool patients into thinking it was “free” treatment that they might not need.
She is also accused of canceling and hiding the full cost of the procedures in bills that were sent to patients.
“It is disturbing when scammers exploit vulnerable Medicare enrollees and defraud federal health care programs for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health, Office of Inspector General US Human Services
The US Attorney’s Office in the Middle District also has a civil action pending against Jackson.